Lion Tears
by pokedoom97
Summary: Simba has always been made out as the hero, the good guy, the one who defeated the evil Scar. But what if Scar had never been evil? This is how Scar came into power, why Zira was banished and why Kopa disappeared.
1. Chapter 1

_Zira_

I woke with a start when Scar stormed in. He was in one of his moods again. What was it this time? Scar had been king of pride rock for many years but Pride Rock had deteriorated to a near wasteland. Every year he tried and failed to keep it at bay, but the hyenas had scared away the other animals, and the circle of life had slowly halted.

"Why did I ever go there!" He muttered to himself. He swatted a rock hard against the cave wall out of anger. I flexed my paws, unlocking each joint, and slowly got to my feet. Scar's tail flicked and he turned around. His beautiful green eyes met my own. Misery and regret filled his every feature.

"Zira, I need to talk to you" His normally warm and loving face had been replaced with one of agony. He looked like a completely different lion to the one I knew.

"Scar, what's the matter?" I spoke softly to him.

"Just come" He stalked out of the cave mouth. I stretched my swollen belly and followed his pain filled steps. The tiny bundle in my stomach kicked out in protest as I moved my pregnant body outside. He led me up the path to the top of Pride Rock and motioned to the land below. I hadn't left the cave for a week and the sight that had met my eyes had made me gasp. How had this happened?!

The sky had turned a cold iron grey, as had the earth. Every towering green tree I had once known had shrivelled up and died. The rivers had turned from the once beautiful cascades to a dirty brown trickle. No animals roamed the empty plains, only bones of others. Vultures circled ahead and lionesses roamed aimlessly, searching for any kinds of scraps and Hyena's cackled as they chased a young cub around a sandy hollow. This is not the place I had once known.

"It's all my fault Zira" He spoke softly as he looked out over his kingdom.

"Scar, you can't blame yourself for this. We all knew this would be a hard summer before you came into power, nothing you have done can be too blame" I said reassuringly.

"Yes I can, it _is_ my fault Zira, I didn't mean for this to happen, I-I thought I was doing the right...but I was wrong...so wrong" He hung his brown head in shame

"Scar, what are you talking about?" I asked. With sunken eyes he turned his back and stalked off toward a deep hole in the rocky wall. I padded after him patiently. He sat facing away from me as if he couldn't bear look at me. I deliberately placed myself at his side and sunk to my paws.

"Please tell me what's wrong Scar" I nuzzled into his side. He let out a long sigh then looked at me.

"When I was a cub, I was always over shadowed by my brother. He stole everything from me, food, water, attention, everything. That's why I was so skinny and scrawny while he grew stronger by the day.

"One day I decided to prove myself... I went out to the Elephant Graveyard, a place so dangerous even my father, the king, didn't dare go. In my mind, it was perfect. I thought if I showed that I was braver then Mufasa, they would crown me next in line, or show me more respect at least. When I got there I saw the thing the other lions feared. A rouge lion called Jikel live there lived amongst the bodies of the dead. Jikel had been exiled from the pride after his mate had kitted. The cubs were not his own, so he killed them...and her. My father had banished him to the outlands, in rage Jikel attacked one of the male lions and fled. He's probably still out there somewhere if we looked. Jikel had sworn revenge on my father and swore to do whatever it takes to destroy him...He saw me." I stood there, transfixed to the story; I could not believe what I was hearing.

"I ran, but he was faster, I jumped, he jumped further. Everything I did he stopped me. Eventually he had me cornered. Jikel clawed me with what felt like the strength of twenty lions. He got me right in the eye" Scar nodded to the jagged pink mark that ran across his left eye.

"I had lost so much blood fighting him, I fell. He snarled and drew in for the kill. I knew I was done for. All I could think of was if anyone would even care when I was gone. He let out a triumphant growl and was about to finish me when a loud bark echoed across the clearing. Three hyenas leaped from the hangover above me and attacked him with as much force they could muster. I somehow found the strength to get back up and crawl away. I could feel myself about to collapse so I hid in one of the grey bones. The smell of blood would have lead the lion straight to me, but I couldn't think. The sounds of the fighting had stopped; I could hear paw steps coming from within the mist. I didn't know if the hyenas had won or if Jikel would burst from the fog to finish what he started. When it was the Hyenas that came back I wasn't sure whether to be thankful or just as afraid. The biggest one demanded to know why I was on their territory. I told them who I was and they were very interested in me when they found out I was the king's son. They made a proposition; if I supplied them with food they'll do something for me in return. I agreed. When I returned to Pride Rock my father was worried about me, but he didn't crown me of course, and Mufasa didn't even care I almost died, he thought I had just gone to the Water Hole and was making it all up. He thought I had got the scar from tripping to close to a rock near the water.

"So every couple of days I would go to the Graveyard and give them food, eventually they grew old and asked if instead I would bring the food to their sons. It seemed reasonable enough so I did. This went on far into the rule of my brother, but it wasn't until...Simba was born that they thought of something. They wanted me to _convince _Simba to go to the graveyard in the hopes to lure Mufasa to them. They thought if they killed the two of them I would be crowned king and would get them into Pride Rock. They wanted to be equal with the lions and rule alongside us. Earlier that day Mufasa and I had a massive fight and I was so full of hate at the time, I agreed." I could see the regret in his eyes as he spoke. I was too stunned to move.

"So I told Simba that there is a place where only the bravest lions go and if he went he would be the bravest of all the pride. So he went there , what I wasn't expecting was he brought his little friends Nala and Zazu. The Hyenas had cornered the three of them in the same place I was attacked all those years ago and tried to kill them. They would have succeeded to if Mufasa hadn't of showed up. They tried to kill him but they all got away. Still filled with spite, I devised a new plan... a plan I regret to this day. The Hyenas would startle a large herd that dwelled above the gorge and I would get Simba to practice his 'growl' down the bottom of the gorge. He would growl and the stamped would start. Simba will think he stated it and run. I would get Mufasa and go the gorge and rescue him... It worked.

"Simba hung to a tree and Mufasa leapt to save him. He got Simba onto a small rock wall; he himself had to climb onto another rock face... I...I waited at the top of the wall...he saw me...I was just so full of hate...I...I" Scar voice faltered. I looked at his face and saw a glistening tear roll down his scar and drop to the floor. I nuzzled him again as another tear spilled down his face.

"He begged me to help him... and I mocked him. I grabbed his paws and whispered to him... 'Long live the king' and I...I...threw him to his doom...the herd trampled him to death "I couldn't speak. Even if I could what would I even say?

"I prowled down to inspect and heard the sound I will never forget until the day I die. It was Simba. He was crying, begging his father to wake up. At the time I thought nothing of it but now it haunts me and will _always_ haunt me. I came around the corner and watched as Simba gently shook Mufasa's body, begging him to get up... I felt nothing...Then he started screaming for help. Desperate he ran around pleading for somebody, anybody to help. That's when he realised. He just sat there and cried. That's when I came in. With no mercy what so ever I told him the king was dead...and it was all his fault. He asked me what to do, I told him to run, and never return. And he did. He ran as fast as any cub could go. The hyena's appeared at my side. Feeling nothing I told them to kill him. I told them to kill an innocent cub. And they did it. They dove into the gorge and chased him into a thicket. After a while they returned and told me they had done it." Scar collapsed shaking onto the floor. I wanted to comfort him, but I felt like I hardly knew him anymore.

"I returned to pride rock with the body of Mufasa to claim my reward. I was king. I lied to you all, told you it was an accident, and released those mutts on you" He spat the last words.

"Those filthy creatures I let loose upon this land, our land, have destroyed it. They've eaten everything, the animals left alive have fled. The plants have died because of the hyenas waste mixed with the fact there's no rain" He shook angrily.

"I single handedly broke the circle of life!" Scar's claws raked the stone beneath him. I began to lick his ear soothingly. My tongue rasped over his soft fur, running over the placed he had not groomed in weeks.

"I...killed my brother" His voice caught in his thought as more tears spilled over his cheeks.

"I'm sure he knows it's not your fault, if it weren't for those damn hyena's you wouldn't have done it" I tried to reassure him but my words were falling on deaf ears.

"I hated him, but I never wanted him to die like that. I'm a monster. If Mufasa were still here the pride lands would be thriving. Being king just wasn't worth it"

"If you didn't owe that debt to those mutts you would have been the greatest king this land would have ever known. You would have been ten times the king Mufasa was. Scar, you tried to do the right thing by letting the hyenas live here, they have just abused their rights, now it's time to be a king and realise what needs to be done" He sat there and blinked at me.

"When did you become so wise Zira?" He pressed his body into mine. A tiny kick from inside my belly startled us both. A tiny little paw was just visible through my stomach. Scar's face softened back to the loving gaze of the lion I loved as he nuzzled my belly.

"What shall we call it?" I asked him. He thought hard for a second.

"If it's a boy...Kovu" Scar decided.

"What if it's a girl?"

"...You decide" His green eyes glittered. I stretched before slowly clambering to my feet. Scar looked like an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he lead me back to the nursery. As I stepped through the mouth of the cave a loud annoyed yowl echoed across the landscape. Anger flare in Scar's eyes before he returned his gaze to mine.

"I've must go, I have business to take care of" He licked me between the eyes than stalked out of the nursery. I watched him go before settling myself down in my nest. Vitanni stirred as I sighed and began to mew hungrily. I nosed her over to my belly and began to think hard. I had always assumed Simba's death had been an accident, I never thought anyone could be cruel enough to deliberately harm a cub, but now my own mate is directly responsible for the death of a cub. Not just any cub, his own kin even. My emotions were scattered. How could I be in love with a lion that killed his own family just to be king? Vitanni kneaded my soft stomach hungrily, the tiny tan cub no bigger than my paw. I smiled at the little bundle. Nuka lay snoring in the corner of the cave, he had just grown old enough to leave the cave yet stayed here most days to keep me company. His grey pelt nearly blended in with the rock behind him. No matter what happens, Scar is still theses cubs' father and still my mate. I will always love him even if he has a dark past. I lay back down and was nearly asleep again when an angry yowl echoed across the pride lands. Was that Scar?


	2. Chapter 2

Scar

Scar stormed back out of the cave, leaving Zira to nurce their cub. This better be damn important! One of the hyena's, Banzai, was waiting at the base of the rocks for him.

"Greetings boss" He spoke loudly.

"What is it now Banzai?" Scar said impatiently.

"One of the lionelles wants to speak with you" Banzai said with a slight sneer in his voice.

"Send her over" Scar sighed. Banzai trotted off, shouting loudly to whoever it was waiting for him. Scar wished just for one day, just one, where no one demanded the world of him and pushed his nerves to the edge. As he waited for Banzai to come back he sweeped a glance over the kingdom, his kingdom. The total devastation of the land was sickening. Every time he looked out across his lands his hatred for those brown mutts grew and grew. But he couldn't tell anyone about them but Zira, well he couldn't even tell her everything. The day the hyena's had arrived here they numbered at least a hundred, they took everything. There were just too many of them, if Scar tried to tell them to leave now, he would be over powered and most likely killed. Banzai returned with one of the lioness's in toe. It took Scar a second to recognise her. Sarafina stood before him, the fur hung limply from her frame, bones showing through her skin, her eyes dull and lifeless. She was barely the lion she used to be.

"Scar" She bowed her head.

"Sarafina" He replied, still staring at her skeletal frame.

"I just though you should know that...well...it's about Nala" She spoke softly.

"Nala?" Scar said confused. What's she been up to now.

"Yes well...Nala has been missing for nearly a week. She told us she had gone beyond the Pride Lands to hunt but...she just never came back" She hung her head.

"Have you sent parties out to look for her?" Scar asked.

"Yes but we didn't find any traces of her" Sarafina replied. Scar's tail flicked. _Well what do you expect me to do about it then?_

"Maybe she's just gone rouge, left the pride just as some of the animals did" Scar suggested. He knew what he said was harsh but honestly, what could he do that hasn't already been done?

"No, she wouldn't do that...not without telling me... I know she's out there somewhere, I just don't know where. Is there anything you can do?" She begged desperately. Irritation flared in Scar.

"I'll send Zazu on a patrol of the area to see if he can find something, other than that the most I can do is tell all the lions to keep an eye out. I'll tell them later" Scar told her. She stared a few seconds more before bowing her head.

"Thank you Scar" She turned and walked away, but not before Scar caught a look cross her face. Scar knew that look. It was the 'if Mufasa was here he would have done better' look. Scar had to stifle a snarl as he stalked away to his den. He needed peace now more than ever of he was sure to snap. He was about to enter the mouth of the cave when he heard the cackle of a hyena echoed from inside.

"Oh now what?" Scar muttered as he entered the cave. The two hyenas, Shenzi and Ed, stood cackling as they prodded a startled Zazu with their hard paws.

"Shenzi, what is this?" Scar asked, suddenly feeling old and tired.

"This feather brain pecked me right in the freaking eye, scratched Ed's nose and even attacked one of the pups" She growled at the bird.

"Well maybe if you furballs hadn't kept chewing on me I wouldn't have had to resort to such _drastic_ measures" Zazu spoke pompously. Scar sighed irritably.

"Zazu for crying out loud, I'm trying to develop an interspecies harmony here and doing that certainly isn't helping... put him back in the rib cage" Scar flicked his head toward the skeleton in the corner of the den.

"With pleasure" Shenzi snarled and snapped her jaws at the hornbill. He screeched and flapped his wings wildly. Shenzi plucked him out of the air by the tail and threw him in the rib cage. Ed pushed the rock over the hole so he couldn't get out and laughed stupidly.

"Your majesty I object being treated in this manner! I am not a chew toy" Zazu brushed himself off.

"Well maybe if you did as you were told I would have to do this" Scar growled.

"This never would have happened under Mufasa" Zazu muttered. Scar snapped.

"What did you just say!" He snarled at the bird.

"I-I-I said nothing sire I-I would never dream of saying anything to-" Scar cut him off.

"I thought I told you not to talk about my brother in my presence, _I _am the king. You understand me? I AM THE KING!" The force Scar used to roar these words knocked Zazu into the back of the cage.

"Yes sire, you are the king aha ha..." He trailed away under the icy daggers of Scar's gaze. Scar turned away and stomped out of his den, the two dogs at his heels. God why can't they bother someone _else _for a change! They followed him to the foot of the hill.

"What do you want _now_?" He nearly snarled at them.

"Scar where's the food? We haven't eaten in day, the lioness's haven't brought anything back yet and we're starving" Shenzi complained. Even through the anger Scar could feel the gnawing pain of hunger he had been trying to ignore for what felt like days, probably was now that he thought about it. Whenever food did come he gave almost all of his share to Nuka and Zira. But the hunting party hadn't brought back anything for the past few days, it was unacceptable.

"I'll deal with it" Scar stalked over to the flat rock he used to call together the lions. He looked down on the ground around him. Hundreds of hyena's lounged around lazily chewing on old bones of long dead animals. In the center of it all was a group of lioness's glaring at the brown dogs.

"SARABI!" Scar yowled across the clearing. The hyena's stepped aside, allowing the old lioness to pass. Sarabi strode toward Scar, head held high with dignity even as a hyena snapped at her heels.

"Yes Scar?" She asked coolly

"Where is your hunting party? They're not doing their job" Scar began to pace back and forth. Sarabi just stood there, holding her ground proudly.

"Scar, there is no food. The herds have moved on" She still spoke in that proud tone, like she was to dignified to look properly at him. Scar glared at her as he paced.

"No, you're just not looking hard enough" He denied. Sarabi finally looked at him with her orange eyes.

"It's over. There is nothing left" Sarabi stated mater of factly, as if talking to a confused cub.

"We have only one choice. We must leave Pride Rock" Scar knew the truth in her words, but that just made him angrier. They were not leaving the Pride Lands, not so soon after he had finally achieved his goal.

"We're not going anywhere!" He shot her a look of icy daggers.

"Then you have sentenced us to death!" She said sharply. He knew that, but the way she said it made it worse. Scar's anger was building.

"Then so be it!" He growled back at her.

"You can't do that" Sarabi stared at him, disbelief clear on her aging face.

"I am the king. I can do whatever I want!" Scar's fury was reching boiling point.

"If you were half the king Mufasa was-" Sarabi hissed. Scar finally snapped. Taking his massive clawed brown paws he swung out at the lioness.

"I'M TEN TIMES THE KING MUFASA WAS!" His paw connected. The force behind Scar's blow was enough to send her flying into the hard rock ground many tail lengths away. Suddenly, lightning split the sky as an almighty roar erupted from above them. Scar looked up in disbelief. Lit up by the light from the bolt of electricity stood a lion, golden fur washing over his massive muscles red main whipping around him and a look on his face that promised death. The lion's enormous frame sprang from his perch and landed beside the fallen lioness. It...it can't be.

"Mufasa?"


	3. Chapter 3

Scar

"No, you're dead" Scar's back was pressed against the wall. The golden lion looked like some sort of avenging angel the way he shone like a beacon. He swooped down to sniff the lioness Scar had forced to the ground. He nuzzled the old female's side affectionately. Sarabi blinked, as if dazed, and stared up at the lion standing over her.

"Mufasa?" She asked weakly. The lion smiled down at her sadly.

"No. It's me" He spoke slowly. Recognition lit up in Sarabi's eyes.

"Simba? You're alive! How can that be?" She stared up at her son.

"It doesn't matter. I'm home now" He rubbed his muzzle across his mothers face, as if letting her know he was really there and not her imagination. Cold fear shot through Scar like claws raking his chest.

"Simba?" He couldn't let the lion he had put to death see his fear. Smiling broadly he looked at his nephew.

"Simba! I'm a little surprised to see you...alive" Without meaning to he shot a quick look over at the three hyena's who had planned this. They gulped loudly and backed away into the shadows. Simba's face broke into one of pure hatred as he began to stalk towards Scar, claws gleaming.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart" He snarled as he drew closer. More lightning cracked over head as Scar backed away from his kin.

"Oh, Simba, you must understand. The pressures of ruling a kingdom..." There was truth behind Scar's words, but they were obscured by the obvious fear in his eyes. Simba glared at him.

"Are no longer yours. Step down Scar" Simba's teeth gleamed dangerously as he talked. Who does he think he is! Scar continued his disguise of being polite to the massive beast as he tried to figure a way out of this.

"Oh, well, I would, naturally however..." An idea popped up in Scar's mind. "There's one little problem. You see them?". Scar pointed one of his long black claws at the hoards of slobbering hyena's drooling above them, waiting to sink their teeth into fur.

"They think _I'm_ king" He placed a paw over his heart. A voice sounded from behind them.

"Well we don't" It was Nala, the lioness who had gone missing, with about half the other lioness's behind her, scowling at Scar. "Simba's the rightful king". Simba turned his head back to Scar and spoke again.

"The choice is your Scar. Either step down or fight" He snarled. That insolent child, needing lioness's to stand up for him instead of actually doing it himself! Well, Scar thought, what if they turned against him? It was time for Scar to pull out the daddy card.

"Oh, must this all end in violence? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member...Wouldn't you agree Simba?" Scar smirked slightly. There was some truth behind Scar's words, he hated being responsible for Mufasa's death, but he was twisting these words, warping their true meaning to suit himself.

"That's not gonna work Scar" Simba tried to avoid what was coming. "I've put it behind me". _I nearly have you exactly where I want you._

"But what about your faithful subjects? Have _they_ put it behind them?" He looked straight at Nala and Sarabi as he spoke. Confusion surfaced in Nala's previously angry face.

"Simba, what is he talking about?" Nala asked him. Yes.

"Ah so you haven't told them your little secret. Well Simba, now's your chance to tell them" Scar turned his back on Simba and faced the lioness. This was going exactly as he planned it.

"Tell them who is responsible for Mufasa's death!" He sneered at Simba. Shock flooded the faces of each of the lionesses beside him as they stared at Simba. For a few long draw out seconds everything was still. Then, Simba spoke, his whole brave facade wavering.

"I am" He stepped forward guiltily. _Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I've got you now you little basterd_! Sarabi's face fell as she stared at her son. She stepped forward to him, her eyes wide.

"It's not true" Simba flinched away from his mother. Grief filled Sarabi's face. "Tell me it's not true!". Simba's bravery, his courage, everything he had used to make himself big and powerful fell away, leaving him nothing but a tiny cub again, as he looked at his mother.

"It's true" Shame flowed off Simba in river's as he turned away. _HAHAHA YES! IT'S WORKING!_

"You see? He admits it! Murderer!" Lightning cracked behind Scar as he filled his every breath with accusation.

"No! It was an accident" Simba denied.

"If it weren't for you, Mufasa would be alive. It's your fault he's dead!" In that brief second Scar was no longer talking to Simba. He was letting his own self loathing rise forth and forced it into Simba.

"Do you deny it?"

"No..." The hateful glint was beginning to resurface in Simba's eyes.

"Then you're guilty!" Again, Scar spoke more about himself than Simba. But that didn't stop him, it just made it all the more believable.

"No, I'm not a murderer!" The pain in Simba's voice was almost unbearable...Almost. Scar began to push Simba back along the great shaft of the stone platform, another plan forming in his head. Another plan he would probably come to regret later, but he'll deal with that _after_ he had finished this. Letting his fury fuel his every step he pushed Simba towards the edge.

"Oh Simba, you're in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn't here to save you" The hyena's began to fall into line behind Scar, an impenetrable wall of cackling mutts. " And now everybody KNOW WHY!"

As Scar spat the last syllable at Simba, the golden lion's foot slipped. Yet more lightning struck the brambles below Pride Rock, lighting them ablaze. Simba's body slipped over the edge until just his clawed paws kept him from plummeting into the soon to be roaring fire. Nala's voice shouted out Simba's name, but Scar didn't care. All he cared about was the squirming figure of his nephew dangling over the edge. Déjà vu struck Scar as he remembered his brother the exact same way. Without feeling ,and without mercy he began to taunt the lion.

"Now, this looks familiar. Hmmm where have I seen this before? Let me think" Scar deliberately spoke slowly as he watched Simba's claws rake across the stone trying to find a grip.

"Oh, yes. I remember. This is just the way your father looked before he died" The same sense of cold emptiness he had felt as h had done this to Mufasa took him over. Scar knew this was what the same thing that happens when hunting prey. No emotion, no second thought, only the action and the result. And, just like with hunting, Scar wasn't going to feel a thing towards his prey. Scar let his black claws shoot from his paws and sunk them deep into Simba's. He roared with pain as Scar dug them deeper. Pulling him closer Scar smiled down at Simba gleefully.

"And here's _my_ little secret..." Scar bent his head to whisper in the dead lion's ear. "I killed Mufasa". Just before Scar could dislodge him from the wall Simba cried out. Scar had greatly underestimated the strength behind the golden fur as Simba somehow leaped from the cliff face and forced Scar to the ground.

"MURDERER!" Simba screamed in Scar's surprised face. Emotions flooded back into Scar as fear more real than anything he had ever felt before attacked him.

"No, Simba, please!" Scar begged. Simba's fangs glittered menacingly as he snarled in his face.

"Tell them the truth!" Simba's eyes blazed.

"Truth? But truth us in the eye of the behold-" A great yellow paw pressed down on his throat, cutting off his words. Scar let out an unintentional gag as he gasped for air.

"All right" Simba pressed harder. "All right! ...I did it" Scar said in barely more than a whisper. Not that he could have spoken louder with that massive paw at his throat! Simba just bared his teeth at him.

"So they can hear you" He snarled. Anger fill Scar as he looked up into the face of his kin.

"I killed Mufasa!" Scar spat in his face. The hyena's let out gleeful yowls as the moved in unison to fling themselves at the lion above me. The lioness's roared and dove into the mass of writhing grey and brown fur. The weight having being lifted from Scar's body, he scrambled up and out of the way as paws stamped past his head. He weaved his way through the fray and made a break for the safety of the rocky walls. He heard yelps of pain as Simba batted away the dog. Scar had to move fast! He darted for the shadowy side of the path, planning on hiding in his secret cave or telling Zira to run. ZIRA! He had completely forgotten about his mate. And his cubs for that matter. He ran for the nursery as fast as the lightning that was still smashing into the ground. The sounds of a crying cub echoed from the black cave. Scar shoved his head in to find his mate, tail wrapped protectively around their daughter who was crying and a wide eyed Nuka trembling beside her.

"Scar thank god! What's going on out there?" Zira looked up at him with her big green eyes.

"Simba's alive. He's going to kill me. There's a fire under Pride Rock. Everyone's fighting...Zira, I stuffed up big time" Scar panted.

"What!" She stood up quickly, Vitanni mewed in surprise.

"I don't have enough time to explain, I'll try to get away but... just in case I don't. I love you Zira. I love you more that you will ever know" Tears spiked in the corner of Scar's eyes, but he wouldn't allow them to spill forth. Zira on the other hand allowed a single tear to roll down her muzzle.

"If Simba lays one paw on you I promise I'll tear him limb from limb" She pressed her face against mine.

"He's too dangerous Zira. If anything ever happened to you I would be devastated. Please...be safe" He brushed his pelt against her.

"What's wrong daddy?" Nuka's little voice appeared below him. How to explain to a cub? He may be nearly a teenager but he still had the innocence of a baby.

"I might be going away for a while Nuka...so please. Be a good boy and look after your mother for me" Scar licked his head lovingly. Nuka's eyes glistened with excitement.

"I will!" he said proudly.

"There's a good boy" He cuffed him on the ear with his tail as he moved past Nuka to get to his little girl. Vitanni was curled up, one pale blue eye staring up at him as he drew closer.

"My precious baby girl..." He scrunched up his eyes to prevent tears as Vitanni's tiny little paws touched his nose. "Goodbye"

With that, Scar dashed from the cave and out into the open. The sounds of fighting still filled his ears, but one sound was missing. He cast his eyes back, only to find Simba's staring straight back at him. He had fought off the hyena's and was making his way towards him. Eyes wide with terror, Scar fled up the rocky slope. Flames had begun to lick the sides of the path as bushes and trees caught aflame. Scar could feel Simba's long paw stride bounding behind him. There was no way he could make it to the cave. Another idea struck him. Just ahead was a platform, if the jump was timed right you could safely make it to the ground. Running like the wind Scar tore away towards the platform. Leaping over a burning bush he found the spot. He raced for the edge but then stopped in his tracks. An ocean of fire had formed beneath him, his salvation billowing in a raging inferno. There was only one safe spot, but that was just too dangerous to risk. He turned to go back to find his path blocked by the towering form of Simba.

"Murderer" He growled.

"Simba, Simba please! Please have mercy. I beg you" Scar pleaded with him. Simba's face showed no emotion other that the deepest of black hatred.

"You don't deserve to live" he spoke coolly. Scar felt absolute terror consume him. He desperately searched his mind for some way out of this.

"But, Simba, I am...family" That wasn't going to work. Scar realised this quickly. Simba wasn't bellow killing a family member. There was only one last option. No more lies, no more hiding, Scar's only foreseeable option was to actually tell the truth and hope Simba believed him.

"It's the hyenas who are the real enemy! It was their fault. It was their idea!" Scar tried desperately to make himself sound believable rather than desperately scraping the bottom of the barrel for something.

"Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie" Simba stalked slowly towards him, cold hatred glimmering in his eyes. Scar's body involuntarily crouched lower to the floor, flattening himself in a sign of submission.

"What are you going to do? You wouldn't kill your own uncle" Scar hoped his words were true. Simba just looked at him with that same unwavering expression.

"No, Scar. I'm not like you" Simba glared down at him. Bittersweet relief flooded through Scar like a tsunami.

"Oh, Simba thank you. You are truly noble. I'll make it up to you I promise. And uh, how can I prove myself to you. Tell me. I mean anything" Scar babbled.

"Run" Scar's heart filled with dread. "Run away Scar. And NEVER return". All that, all that talk of never killing him, had been lies. Scar could see it in his eyes. Simba never intended Scar to live. He just wanted Scar to turn his back so he could finish the job. The look on Simba's face promised death, not mercy.

"Yes...of course" Scar kept his eyes on Simba's as he slunk around him. He had to find some way of winning this! Suddenly, Scar noticed the glowing embers of a dying stick or branch near his foot. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

"As you wish...your majesty!" Scar hissed as he flung the hot embers at Simba. Simba screamed as they covered his face and eyes, burning him viciously. Taking his advantage Scar roared and flung himself onto Simba, bitting the back of his neck hard enough to draw blood. They rolled as Simba struggled to get away from Scar's sharps fangs repeatedly scouring his neck. For a brief second Simba's head hung over the edge of the platform. But a swipe from Simba's massive paws knocked Scar backwards. He skidded to a stop and leaped into the air. Simba flipped over and leaped at him as well. Scar felt the air driven from his body as Simba's paws slammed into his chest. A clawed mass hit his face. He snarled and reared up, sending his razor sharp claws down Simba's face and across his mane. Scar forced Simba backwards and struck again. But this time Simba was ready for him. Simba roared and smashed his claws across Scar's nose.

Scar's silky black mane was thrown across his face momentarily obscuring his view. He struck out at random, hoping to make contact. Scar laughed with delight as he felt his claws rake Simba's neck. The feeling of blood running down his razor shard claws was glorious. With one more powerful swipe Scar sent Simba flying backwards. Simba fell on his back, his head making a beautiful crack as it smashed into the rock. Simba lay there dazed, exposing his vulnerable soft underside and unprotected throat. _This will end it!_

Scar leapt through the fire, claws and fangs outstretched, ready for the final blow. Simba's face twisted into something unrecognisable. Strong hind legs pushed off Scars belly, sending him flying forward. Too late he realised they were at the edge. Simba flipped Scar over his head and suddenly he was plummeting. Air rushed past Scar as he fell. Scar hit the hard rocky wall on the way down, causing him to roll down into the fire. Scar closed his eyes and waited for the final blow. **_Smack_**. He had hit the rock where there was no fire. Fierce pain flared into life as Scar raised his head and took in the incredible heat of the fire. It billowed around him, sending towering pillars of smoke into the blackening sky. Scar slowly got to his feet and blinked. Dark shapes were moving behind the wall of flame. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed appeared, stepping over a burning log to join him. Oh thank god, my final allies.

"Ahhh my friends" Scar said relieved it was them and not Simba before him.

"Friends?" Shenzi laughed. "I thought he said were the enemy"

"Yeah. That's what I heard" Banzai agreed. They had heard him! Oh no...

"Ed?" They both asked the dim witted dog at the end. In reply Ed laughed menacingly at Scar, licking his lips. From the shadows came the shapes of more hyenas, eyes gleaming in the flickering glow of the fire.

"No. Let me explain. No, you don't understand!" Scar desperately tried to talk them out of it, but they kept moving closer and closer, their cackle growing stronger.

"No, I didn't mean...NO!" The hyenas diverged upon him in a hungry hoard. Multiple pains of teeth dug into his pelt as the hyenas forced him to the ground. Scar could feel his skin being cut and torn by hundreds of pairs of sharp yellow fangs. Unimaginable pain washed over Scar. He screamed and began to kick and bite anything he could, but there were just so many of them.

"We told you not to tell anyone didn't we!" Shenzi's voice spoke from somewhere, a cruel laugh from an angel of death. Scar snarled and with a new aggression began to fight back. But it was useless. Scar knew this, but that didn't stop him from trying. The heat from the flames was unbearable. The flames danced closer and closer. Suddenly the world exploded.

Blinding white light struck not ten tail lengths from Scar. The sound of a billion trees being torn apart still could not compare to what was happening right now. Scar could hear nor see anything but the lightning as he flailed away from it. Shaped bumped into him, he didn't even bat them away anymore. Something wet was splashing down Scar's back. Was it blood? As the light faded Scar blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision. His head suddenly felt very heavy. Scar's ears were still ringing when his sight slowly began to return.

The hyenas were gone. It was just him along with something charred and black. He sniffed it delicately, since smell was the only sense currently working. The black mess smelt of burning fur and meat. With a horror he realised the ten or so black shapes were hyenas who had either been struck by the lightning or had burn in the flames. More wetness trickled into Scar's droopy eyes. It wasn't blood. It was rain. The storm had finally broken and torrents of water washed over the flames. Steam began to rise from the dying fire, stopping them in their tracks.

Scar's battered body wanted to collapse, to stop and never get up. He was tempter to do so, but that would be letting Simba win. Slower than a turtle Scar placed one paw in front of the other. He staggered away from the towering rocks, no clear image of where he was going, the only logical thought left in Scar's delirious mind was that he had to get away from here. Blood dripped from his wounds and stained his fur. The rain washed the blood into the dry ground, leaving a very faint trail that would soon be washed away completely. Scar's breaths came only in shallow gasps; his lungs just couldn't seem to work anymore. All he knew was he just had to keep going. Time had lost any meaning to him, so it could have been minutes, hours, seconds anything at all when he finally saw a rock with a little over hanging lip. He limped towards it slowly, he needed to rest. His body collapsed on him when he got about half was under. Sweet relief filled his aching muscles as he finally stopped. There was so much agony in this world. Would it really be so bad if he left it? Allowing that blackness creeping into the corners of his mind to take him. If he did, there would be no pain, no loss, just nothingness. The idea tempter him more than anything in the world. He would have let it happen too if it weren't for the sound that pricked in his ears. A triumphant roar echoed across the Pride Lands. Scar's last conscious thought was that Simba had no idea what he was getting himself in for. Scar's mind focused on Zira for a brief moment. _Let her be safe..._ then Scar slipped into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Nuka

Mother had told him not to go out there, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He wanted to know where daddy had gone. He trotted out of the cave for the first time in days and looked around curiously. Something red and hot was shimmering over the edge of the rocks, fire his mother had called it. He sniffed the air. Something yucky and thick filled his lungs. Smoke. He coughed it out and continued up the path he had seen his father take. When he reached the top he stopped confused. A big yellow lion Nuka had never seen before was hitting his father. Why was he being so mean to daddy? What had he done to make the yellow lion angry? Nuka watched as his father hit the other so hard he landed on his back. This was just like the games he played with his friends! Nuka watched fascinated as his father leapt over more of the fire to land on the yellow lion. Nuka cheered him on as he sailed through the air. But his happiness turned to confusion as the yellow lion kicked daddy's belly and sent him over the edge. Mother would never let _him_ do that. The yellow lion watched as the other disappeared over the edge with a yowl of fear. Seconds passed, then the stranger turned his back on Nuka's father and began to stalk away, a small smile sneaking onto his face. Nuka felt kinda frightened as the new lion drew closer to his hiding place. Nuka darted quickly away, not caring if he was seen or not. He just needed to get back to his mother now! He skidded back into his den to find his mother waiting for him.

"Nuka what on earth were you doing! The whole place is on fire!" Zira flicked her tail with worry.

"Mum, the big yellow lion just pushed daddy off the rocks" Nuka told her wide eyed. Zira's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"He did what!? Show me where this lion is!" She snarled in Nuka's face. He nodded, slightly scared o the look in his mother's eyes. Nuka ran back to the spot he had last seen the lion, only to find him gone. Nuka sniffed around hopefully, but all he could smell was the grey smoke from the fire. He turned to find his mother running in the direction they just came from. She must have seen him, Nuka thought as he watched her go. He was about to follow her when a scream erupted from the rocky cliff face. That was dad! Nuka ran to the edge and took a peek. Nearly thirty hyena's were swarming something brown, biting and tearing into the thing. But...that was defiantly daddy's voice he had heard...where was he? A small gap in the fighting allowed Nuka a glimpse of a silky black mane. Nuka's eyes bulged out of his skull with fear. That _was_ daddy down there with them. But...they were hurting him!

"Dad?" Nuka yelled down at the mass of moving fur. Scar didn't hear his son's cries over the noise of the barking and snarling. Nuka began to pace the rocky ledge, brain a whirlwind of emotions. What was he going to do? Should he go down there? Should he go with his mother? Before he could decide white light exploded over his vision. The sound of a billion rocks falling smashed across Nuka, knocking him back with the sheer force of it. The wall of sound and light roared in Nuka's ears, ten times more powerful than anything he had ever felt in his life. His head felt like it was about to explode. Then, everything just stopped. No noise, no movement, just him and the fading white vision. Nuka stumbled backwards, trying to escape the blindness, and felt the rock beneath his paws crumble and give way. With a little squeak he fell. Nuka couldn't see where he was going, his eyes still burning white, and didn't see the rock until it was too late. Nuka felt a sharp pain in the back of his head before the world turned black.

* * *

The first thing Nuka was aware of was a dull throb in the back of his head. _Owww, what happened? _Memories flooded back into Nuka's mind like a hurricane of information. Where's dad! Nuka's eyes snapped open. He almost expected to be blind, that when his eyes opened they would be blank, but he actually had to blink away the harsh lights of the dying fire burning his eyes. He let his eyes slowly adjust, then wish he hadn't. What he saw made his heart stop. Black charred shapes littered the ground, the smell of burnt fur and meat filled Nuka's lungs, heat radiated from the dying embers around him and rain splattered his fur. Black rivers of soot ran from between every burnt crevasse, making a sticky dark mess that clung to Nuka's pelt like glue. The whole place smelt of death. The sickening stench of burning flesh was enough to make Nuka feel weak and nauseated. But none of this was what made Nuka's heart stop dead.

A shape, far too big to be just a hyena was drapsed about three tail lengths from him. The blackened mass was still smouldering even in the down pour. Nuka slowly stepped towards it, trying to tell himself he was imagining it. He hovered over the thing trembling. No, not even he could imagine something like this. Black hair. Familiar black silky hair. Hair he knew better than his own. Sticking out of the crispy shape. Roughly where the head could be. Nuka, fighting every urge not to do this, sniffed it. Through the burning and the dying, one thing stood out. His father's scent.

Nuka's body went cold. The world seemed to darken, to such an extreme all Nuka could see was the dying embers and his father's body silhouetted against them. There was no sound; it had all been blotted out by the blood rushing in his ears. No... This can't be happening. As if to prove to himself it was real, Nuka stretched out a paw to touch the blackened body. The spot he touched began to crumble, turning into black dust that clung to his fur. A blood curdling scream shattered the air around him. Nuka jumped at the sound of it. After a long few seconds Nuka realised the screams were coming from him. His heart felt like it was being torn apart by the same teeth and claws the hyenas had used against his father. He could almost see them, ripping and tearing at his very soul, devouring it then spitting it out. His father was dead. His father was burnt to death centimeters away from him. Nuka felt something wet leaking across his face. He had to get away. Now.

All conscious thought had left Nuka as he scrambled backwards, desperate to get away from the-the-THING. He screamed as he tripped over something hard. With a thud he landed on another black object and actually went _through_ it. The black object crunched underneath Nuka, concaving in on it's self and covering Nuka with chunks of hardened black flesh. Sharp bones dug into Nuka's flank from the rib cage he now sat in. Nuka gave a sob and scrambled out of the rib cage of the hyena. Nuka trembled as he stared down at the black face of the deceased hyena. Despite himself, looking down at the fire ravaged beast, Nuka felt something shift in his mind. This hyena, all these hyenas, they...they...deserved this. They had been mean and ruthless and cruel, not just to him but to his mother too. They had attacked the lions, destroyed their home and betrayed his father. Those creatures had attacked and killed his father.

A strange darkness began to flutter in the back of Nuka's mind. It clung to the edges of his thoughts, his idea's, his very breath. The sticky darkness felt strange and out of place in Nuka's brain, yet at the same time, a sick pleasure arose from it. Whatever this thing was, there was no pain there, no suffering, just this strange feeling of unexplainable goodness. Those hyenas deserve to die. He looked back to his father's corpse and felt his lips twitch. Anybody who crossed you deserves to die father. A weak whine broke the silence that had settled on Nuka. His ears pricked up as the sound came again. Letting his paws guide him, Nuka followed the whining until he fell upon the source On the ground below him was a hyena. A snivelling brown creature attempting to crawl to it's feet. It's legs wobbled as it tried to stand, began to sway, then collapsed back to the floor with a yelp. Nuka looked down on the mutt with contempt, more of the darkness trying to cling to his mind. The thing looked up and spotted him.

"Oh thank heavens, your just a cub. Hey, little help here bud?" The hyena said relieved. Nuka recognized the dogs voice.

"I know you" He spoke blankly, emotionless.

"Hey I think I've seen you 'round before. Aren't you Scar's kid?" The hyena asked.

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME MUTT!" Nuka snarled at the creature. "You're not worthy enough to speak his name, Banzai!"

"Hey hey calm down little guy we're all friends here right?" Banzai began to cringe away from Nuka.

"Is that what you told my dad? That he was your friend? Did you say this before or after you murdered him?" Nuka spat at the pathetic excuses for an animal as he began to stalk closer and closer.

"M-m-m-murder? I-I have no idea what you're talking about" The hyena lied. It was the weakest attempt at a lie Nuka had ever heard in his whole life, and he was nearly a teenager. Nuka had seen enough to know the only reason his father had been defeated was because he had talked to much. Instead of fighting he had tried to bluff and negotiate his way out of things. Not Nuka. Nuka let his claws slid free and waited for the right moment.

"I promise you little guy I had nothing to do with any of this. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Please believe me little guy I mean you no harm, absolutely none at all so, uh, if you can just help me get-" Banzai would never get to finish his pleas. The second the hyena had left his throat exposed Nuka had struck. With a yowl Nuka plunged his fangs deep into the soft tissue of the dogs neck. Banzai howled with pain and surprise as Nuka began to rake his claws across any patch of fur he could find. Nuka felt hot salty blood spill into his mouth as he bit down harder. Nuka felt a massive paw kick into his side. The force of it was nearly enough to send Nuka flying backward. With a growl he bit down again, feeling his teeth hit Banzai's windpipe. The hyena's cry was quickly turned into a gurgle as the blood and life poured from its body. This wasn't enough for Nuka though. Letting the sticky darkness guide his way, Nuka plunged a claw deep into the dying creature's chest. The brown dog wailed with pain as he pushed it deeper. Blood gushed forth and covered Nuka from the hole in the dog's chest. Banzai was on his last limb.

"This...isn't...gonna...bring...your...dad back...kid..." Banzai wheezed. A dark pleasure filled Nuka as he leaned in close and whispered in the worthless mutt's ear.

"I'm not just doing this for him...I'm doing this for me" Nuka twisted his claw deep into the creatures heart. It gave a feeble yowl of pain, then it no longer had the strength to even do this. It just began to whine softly as its life ebbed away. Nuka wasn't happy. The creature hadn't nearly suffered enough for what it had done; it deserved nothing less than the most agonising death imaginable. But it was too late. Banzai was no longer moving, his whining stopped short. He was dead.

Nuka stared down at the body. Nuka didn't know what to feel. He had just killed someone. Sure the hyena had been a murderous mutt, but by killing him...didn't that make Nuka a murderer too? That strange darkness brushed his mind again. No. He was no murderer. He had brought about a great justice to not just him, but all the lions. He had righted a great wrong, not murdered.

Nuka's lips curled back as a little laugh escaped them. He allowed the madness to come forth instead of lying in wait as it had been. He let it guide him, consume him, take control of him. An ember had found its way into Banzai's limp fur. With a small spark, the worthless mutt began to burn like the dog it was. The madness told him to laugh, so Nuka did.

A hysterical laugh began to erupt from Nuka. He had done this! The fire was turning the hyena's corpse black and hard like all the other bodies around Nuka. He laughed at it. Time had ceased to exist. He could have been there for only seconds or maybe even hours had past when he heard voices. The madness wanted to ignore it and continue to rule Nuka. He probably would have let it to were it not for the fact he recognized the voice as his mothers.

"Scar? Nuka? Where are you?" His mother's worried voice echoed across the barren rocks. Nuka pushed the darkness, the insanity, far away into the corner of his minds. Suddenly he began to feel scared. Without the madness he suddenly felt alone and insignificant. He was painfully aware of the dark sticky mess clinging to his pelt like mud, except it was red. His mother had come around to find her son, covered in blood, standing over a dead body.

"Nuka thank god, I've been looking everywhere for you! Have you seen your father around...Nuka? What the hell happened to you!" Nuka's mother rushed over to him and began to nuzzle him feverishly, sniffing him to find a wound.

"I'm alright mother...the blood's not mine" Nuka blinked at her confused face.

"Well then what..." That's when she noticed the near charred remains of the traitor.

"Oh my...What the...you know what, I'll ask later. Where is Sca- I mean, your father have you found him yet. I've been looking and looking but I can't" Zira stopped at the look on her son's face. Nuka found himself looking blankly at his mother. He no longer knew the right reaction he should be having anymore. Should he be crying again, screaming? Or was this alright too? He then slowly shifted his gaze to the large blackened mess behind her. His mother followed his gaze. For a few seconds they stood in complete silence, Zira staring blankly at the thing that was once her mate as if it didn't exist. Then the silence broke.

"No...NO!" Zira voice rose as she ran to the blackened corpse. Nuka slowly followed her at a snail's pace.

"Scar please no, please! That's not you, please this isn't you! Oh god no Scar!" Nuka's mother sobbed over and over again. Nuka had to close his eyes; the scene was too hard for him to watch. He hated seeing mother cry. Once again that black pit of hatred opened up inside him. How dare those pieces of filth make his mother cry.

"You will pay for this" Zira growled, red eyes almost a mirror of what happening inside Nuka.

"You mean the hyenas?" Nuka snarled.

"No" She stood shakily. A triumphant roar cracked across the sky, as loud as the lightening from before, echoing across the barren plains. Nuka looked up and saw a golden figure of a lion perched atop the peak of Pride Rock.

"I mean _him._..Simba" Zira's face was a mask of pure loathing as she stared at the golden lion. Simba? That must have been the lion who pushed his dad off the edge. Nuka looked back at the figure, just in time to hear the chorus of the lioness' yowls of support.

"I will get him for this! I swear I will kill him! I promise you Scar I will make him suffer" She buried her face back in the charred corpse. Nuka nuzzled into his mother's side, trying to offer some sort of comfort. If it was this Simba lion that had made mother upset like this, then it must have really been_ his_ fault that his father had died, not just the hyena's. Well, if mother wanted him to suffer he would help. He would always help mother. Nuka felt strange, almost empty inside. It was like he was now physically missing a part of himself. The old Nuka was gone, but what had he been replaced with?

* * *

The two lions mourned long into the night before they were found by the others. Nuka went without question, where as Zira had to be dragged away from the supposed body. They spent the night in shock, neither one knowing all of this was needless. For that was not Scar's body they had seen. It wasn't even a lion. Both eyes of the lions were too clouded with grief to realise it was two hyenas skeletons burnt on top of each other with Scar's hair in one of their mouths.


End file.
